The Tower
by ChorusGirl
Summary: Suited Darth Vader meets Olee Starstone character from the Rise of Vader novel a year after their first meeting. Sparks fly, and not the electrical kind, when she decides to seduce the sith lord.
1. A year later

Title: _The Princess and The Tower_

Characters: _(Suited) Darth Vader formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, and Olee Starstone (from the sequel to the Revenge of the Sith Novel: The Rise of Vader by James Luceno)._

Summary: _The backstory on Olee Starstone for those who haven't read the book... Olee was a hard headed Padawan learner of adult age with an attachment to the Order who is confronted by Vader in a raid on Kashykk for banding together the few Jedi who escaped the purge. Interestingly, there was a connection between her and Vader, he even allowed her to go free despite decimating the other Jedi, including a master who had taken her under his wing, with the warning "Padawan, listen to your master and go". She slinks past Vader, and he allows her to go. After her "master" is killed (Shyrne, the Jedi hero of this book) Olee accepts that the Order is gone, and moves on with her life._

_This story is about Olee and Vader meeting again, and my how things have changed._

* * *

Darth Vader - formerly Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Republic, Jedi, turncoat, Sith, and mass murderer landed his Imperial Class Star Destroyer on the grim Outer Rim planet, Boz Pity. In the year that passed since his accident, enforcing the peace had given him something to do. Something other than reflecting on the wounds incurred by the hands of Obi Wan Kenobi, his former master, who, in a battle sent him into a fiery pit on the planet Mustafar. 

He was over it now. He had accepted the sacrifice that needed to be made to get where he is now. Ruler of the known galaxy. It was his. Anything he wanted, save for Palpatine's head on a stake. One day, he would have that too. Until then, he would accept the crumbs the old buzzard doled out to him, whilst using every ounce of restraint in his scarred body, to keep from biting the Sith Master's hand. He sighed, then looked around.

Vader's reasons for going to Boz Pity were simple. There was nothing else to do. Who would rise against the Empire? Who would dare?

He smiled inside the mask. It was a routine visit. A search for insurgents or rebels... they were bound to come someday. The plan was to destroy them before the movement had a chance to gain steam.

Vader and a squadron of stormtroopers walked through the streets of Vector 5, a western city on the planet. All but Vader carried blasters in their hands. With him was Noll Tampay, who was on hand to collect taxes which vendors and shopkeepers dropped into a linen sack he carried.

The tax monies collected were to be used as spending money for the troops. Something to grease the wheels a bit, keep them loyal. Why else would they continue to act in the service of the Empire if there was nothing to gain from it?

The cadence of the troopers armored feet sent tremors of fear across the market.

An alien woman stepped from behind a cart, throwing herself in Vader's path. "Lord Vader," she cried, crumbling to her knees before him. "I'm sorry, my lord, but business has been slow. I have no money! Please," she said, eyes weepy, heart thundering, "take this fruit, free of charge."

She tried pressing it in his hand, but he smacked it away. "I have no need of any of your fruit!" he snapped. After a moment, he composed himself. "I will let you slide, today," he finished, in a calculated tone, "but I will be sure to send our regional tax collector, Tambay to retrieve the funds in five standard days."

The woman bowed her head. "Thank you, your grace..." she said, backing away, as though he were some god, too great to look upon."

_Pathetic_, he thought.

Vader took a step away from the shopkeeper and nearly tripped over a small figure that crouched near his feet. It was a presence that was quite familar to him... he looked down, seeing a shock of straight dark hair cut into a bob. A woman... she had plucked the piece of fruit Vader had smacked away from the vendor from the dusty ground.

"You don't want it, I'll take it," the woman smiled. She rubbed the fruit on her shirt, cleaning it of dust, and took a bite.

He recognized the face. Who could forget a face like hers? Carmel-olive complexion, pouty lips. She even wore his brand. The one he had given her when they last fought. But... he sensed no animosity in her now. Not even an inkling. And saw no need of drawing his lightsaber.

**Olee Starstone.** She was in his face, a handbreath away, chomping the fruit nonchalantly and wiping juicy spittle away with the back of her gloved hand.

She wore an old ratty brown linen shirt - with net covering. Both shirts had been twisted and pulled to the side, leaving one of her shoulders exposed. There, he saw the scar, a thin scar, that rose over her shoulder like a purse strap. The gloves she wore were similar to her shirts, in that, there was one pair covering another, both with fringed edges, as though she ripped them in half so that her part of her hand remained exposed at the finger tips and over the wrist.

"So...daddy-o, what brings you to Boz Pity?" she said in the language of the youth set. Funny he thought, he was only three years older than she was. But the suit made him feel _so much older_.

He looked down, eyes on her exposed her mid-drift. She wore a skirt that barely covered her thighs and black boots._ I will have to do something about that... perhaps, a new decency law._ Vader folded both arms behind his back, regarding her for a moment.

"You are wise to have left your Jedi commitments behind."

"I'm not sad to say that I agree. I'm over it now. I think you saw to that."

"Is that so? Because I killed your master?"

"Which master? You killed them both."

"A pity."

"Well, that's what they call it," she said, looking around. "You are in no need of worrying about me. I am not a Jedi anymore, and I am not a part of any insurgency."

"Thank you, but you are the last one I would ever need to worry about, Padawan."

She gave him a curious look, a half smile on her face. But beneath the smile was a young woman plagued by guilt. Guilt only someone like Vader could understand - that is, if he even had a conscious. She owed her guilt to the fact that she didn't listen to her "new" master, when he warned her that the Jedi Order was finished. Because of her, he was dead, as well as the other Jedi and the Wookies Vader killed on Kashykk. Because she didn't listen, there was as much blood on her hands as there was on the Sith Lord's --- because of her stubborness, because of her attachments to something that was long gone. Shyrne had told her to let go --- and now, she finally had. She went from being a young, responsible prudish temple librarian to those around her as a careless young woman with little commitment to anything. But little did they know, her carelessness was her way of coping. And once again, as she had in the past few months, she flirted with danger. Danger in a black mask.

Olee turned and walked past Vader. For a second, she wondered if he would do something to her now. He had hunted what remained of all the Jedi as far as she knew. Would he let her walk away? Certainly, she didn't care. Whatever fate had in store.

His eyes burned into her back. The stormtroopers watched. He waved an arm, gesturing the men to walk ahead.

"Padawan," he called.

Olee turned and looked at him, then walked back, bringing herself close to him again. She stood close to let him know she wasn't afraid. His hand touched her naked shoulder. "I see, you still wear my brand," he noted. The brand he had given her and the other Jedi who survived the attack on Kashykk.

Olee gave him another half-smile. "Yeah. That." she replied in a bored voice. "I've learned to accept it." She met his eyes, swung her head, then with one parting look over her shoulder, she spoke again:

"I guess you'll always be a part of me, Lord Vader."

Again, the smile played on her lips. She shrugged. Vader watched as she walked away. When Olee was almost out of sight, he signaled one of his stormtroopers.

"Have her arrested."

"What are the charges, sir?"

"Indecency," he replied.


	2. A Dangerous Game

"Proceed with caution...she was a Jedi once," Vader warned.

A battalion of six storm troopers moved stealthily through the crowded market in pursuit of Olee Starstone. Weapons leveled on their shoulders, they scoped the crowds. She was there only a moment ago. But with so many civilians mulling about... it now seemed as though she had disappeared.

Vader would not be pleased.

Suddenly, one of the storm troopers pointed toward a small group. There were two Changrian men, one humanoid male, and Olee.

"There!" storm trooper 679 yelled.

The squad moved in.

Olee tossed her hair aside casually turning toward her friends with a smile on her face. "So, anyway, are we going or not? We can planet hop."

"Fuel prices are higher than ever. It would be a waste of credits," Kippy, the younger of the two Changrians said. "We can stay right here on Boz Pity and party until it's time to go back home.

Olee slipped behind the Changrian, her hands massaging his wimpy shoulders. She pouted. "Awww... what a party pooper you are..."

Suddenly, her old Jedi senses kicked in. She turned as the storm troopers approached, guns in hand. Kippy and the other Changrian, Li jumped behind her. The humanoid, Filli, Olee's boyfriend held tight to one of her hands.

"I told you..." he whispered. "to stay away from Vader. You never listen to me."

Filli and Olee were introduced by her third master, Shyrne. Filli was a part of Jule's smuggling crew. Jule was Shyrne's long lost mother.

For a while Olee resisted Filli's clumbersome flirtations, but after realizing that the Jedi Order was gone for good... at least never to be resurrected in her life time, she gave the young man a chance. And they've been together ever since.

"Is there a problem, officers?" Olee asked.

"You're under arrest," storm trooper 679 said.

"What for? Is having fun against the law these days?"

Filli nudged her. "Play nice, and they might let you go."

"I doubt it," Olee said. "This is Vader's doing."

"You're under arrest for indecency."

"Indecency?" Olee looked around. "Who's indecent? I havent' violated any law."

The storm trooper grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into their group. Twelve hands immediately seized her.

Filli tried to pull her back.

"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

Storm trooper 679 swung his rifle, and smacked him across the jaw.

Filli stumbled back, spitting blood from his mouth. He looked ready to pounce on the trooper, but a startled Olee stopped him.

"Don't--" she said. "I'll go..."

Filli looked around. "You can take them, what are you doing?"

Olee shook her head.

"I'm tired of running. If Vader wants me, then I suppose it's time to go."

Olee reached for Filli, their fingers touching. Her eyes softened. "I'll call as soon as I'm out."

Filli looked as though his world had collapsed around him. "If..." he said, then stopped himself from finishing. There was no "if" as far as he was concerned. He would find a way to set her free if the dictator tried to keep her fugitive.

Olee looked back at Filli, as the troopers escorted her back to Vader. She shook her head... "Don't do it," she whispered. I'll be fine."

Filli nodded, watching as she drew nearer to the blackhole in the middle of the market.

* * *

Vader sat patiently aboard his Imperial Star Destroyer, facing the holoscreen where Commander Yami fed him line after boring line of about squirmishes and protests that had been squashed by his unit. He was trying his best to impress the Sith Lord, but was failing miserably. Despite his accomplishments, Yami's droning voice nearly put Vader to sleep. 

"Enough, Commander. Well done. We will talk of awards and promotions when I return to Base 9."

Yami dared a smile. "Yes, my lord. Any idea as to when I might expect you?"

"I will let you know at that time."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you..."

Vader severed the connection. Yami's chattiness could cost him more than he realized. And he didn't mean a promotion. _Squirmish this, squirmish that..._ Vader had other things on his mind... like _Olee Starstone_, who had been stowed away in a one bed unit aboard the ship.

Vader composed his thoughts then left the control room for her cabin.

Olee sat on the cold steel floor in a corner of the room, her arms encircling her knees, face in her lap. The steel door slid open bringing a gust of wind inside, followed by a cold black shadow.

Vader stood akimbo, masked head tilted high. His breathing bounced and reverbed against the hollow walls of the room.

Olee's brought her head up to look at him. She stood, and sensed how unsettled he was. _Funny_ she mused... _it should be the other way around. His so called confidence is a farce. _She hadn't dared to laugh in his face though.

Dusting her knees, she watched him turn his head, and sensed a surge of resentment flow through him.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, Darth Vader... it seems you've had me arrested for indecency. I'd rather if you had arrested me for being a Jedi."

"Oh, but you are a Jedi no more," he proclaimed. "Is that not what you told me? Or have I reason to believe otherwise?"

He leaned close to her face, a gust of wind blowing her bangs away from her face. Olee crinkled her nose, but did not move. "Is that supposed to scare me? You can do better than that," she huffed.

"Besides..." she ran a hand along the blinking control panel he wore across his chest - and was met with a vice like grip on her arm. The mechanical fingers clamped down, nearly cutting her blood circulation.

_Don't touched the panel..._ she thought. _Got it._

He seemed to meet the playful gaze she gave him, the dark black orbs peering down into her face. She sensed, that somewhere inside, he was smiling. Maybe laughing at how easily he flustered her. There was something quite malevolent about it. Suddenly. Olee felt as though a heavy metal ball dropped into her gut. And she swallowed nervously. _What was she doing? _

"As to my arrest, there's no such indecency law. I am more than appropriately dressed."

"Dressed?" the masked attempted something that sounded like a laugh. "If that's what passes for clothes in the Outer Rim? Then, it is soon to change." And my how she had changed from the uptight librarian he met a year ago. He apprised her attire once more.

...then watched the cynical rise of Olee's brow. "So I'm under arrest for having _aroused _you, in some manner?"

"Aroused?" _What was she talking about?_ "You are foolish, Padawan, if you think I am so easily tempted. I have little need of lust or desire."

"But is it not out of desire or lust of power that compels you to do what you do to the... _Empire_?"

He didn't feel like justifying himself to her. HE felt like snuffing the life from the little pixie, now. "I think we know that I refer to fleshly lust and you would be wise not to play mind games with me."

Olee sighed. "How can I be arrested for a law that doesn't exist?"

"It exists now," Vader replied.

He about faced, his cape whirling behind him as he walked toward the door. Olee reached out, grabbing him by the arm.

A touch... she touched _him!_ Vader's breathing was suddenly erratic.

The grip on his arm slowly loosened. Vader turned and pulled her by the collar of her flimsy top and yanked her toward him, as though she were some punk kid who had stolen the caps off the legs of his speeder.Olee stood on her toes in an attempt to meet his height.

"You are playing a very dangerous game, Padawan."

The mask blew a long breath of warm air into her nostrils. Air that smelled of medicine or something like a med-center. Olee smiled.

"I'm not the one whose in danger," she drawled.

"Perhaps, your friend... _Filli _might disagree."

Vader opened the door, and strode out.


	3. Sleeping With The Enemy

**Warning.** _Some of the content here is not suitable for young people or sensitive readers. - CG_

* * *

There was nothing better than the privilege power. The power to detain someone indefinitely, just because you want to. Who could stop him? Who would dare? Not that Filli person, anyway. A lifetime ago, when Vader was Anakin Skywalker he would have thought deeply about his actions. Fallen over himself with guilt. It was guilt that caused him the fight with Obi Wan Kenobi. And guilt that put him in that suit. A life for a life. But any guilt he might have felt then had been burned out of him at the bottom of that lava pit on Mustafar. Anakin died there, on a shore beside a river of molten liquid. Incinerated... where Vader had been born by fire. 

Burned away were any normal human emotion leaving in its wake a complicated would be man. Half man, half droid. Or literally, half of a man? He couldn't be sure. But he was _something._ And he was here.

But there _was _something about Olee Starstone. Something that caused him to hesitate where he had been merciless to the others. Allowing her skittish self to slink past him to safety, even encouraging her escape with a warning to obey her master, who had accepted death in her place. Even though she had cursed him moments earlier, and probably would have taken his life if Shyrne had afforded her the opportunity.

Who was she now, this Olee Starstone? A rebel in the making, with her tawdry attire? With her shapely legs, blue eyes, and shiny dark hair that reminded him so much of Padme?

The cadence of Vader's boots reverberated in the hollow hallways of his Imperial Star Destroyer. His mind carried him back to the holding unit. He pictured Olee, resting on the single cot. Her legs bent at the knees, fingers twirling locks of her hair as she mulled absent-mindedly over their conversation. He saw her rolling over to lay on her stomach, her chin pressing into the thin mattress.

_Perhaps,_ he thought with some compassion... _I can provide better accomodations for her_. Vader turned a corner, walking into a squadron of storm troopers and Captain Lassem, who, unlike the armor plated foot soldiers, wore a tailored grey uniform and matching hat. Decals and other emblems of war decorated the side of his jacket.

He saluted.

"Lord Vader. We are landing on Vixin now. What are we to do with the captive?"

_Vader tilted his head, suddenly in thought. What would he do with her? Leave her in the cabin to fly from planet to planet? What if there were rebels out there waiting in the vast cold night? Would he allow a civilian detainee to remain on the ship? A war ship where she could perish in an exchange of fire?_

Lassem stood, legs wide with his arms pressed behind his back as he awaited an answer. Normally, it never took Lord Vader this long to think of anything. _And what was her crime anyway?_

"Send her to the tower," Vader replied.

There was a hint of surprise in Lassem's eyes. He leaned toward the Sith Lord, and as discreetly as he could... "Lord Vader, if I may be so bold... do you think it is wise to hold a detainee at your (whispering) _personal _residence? Despite the security of the tower... I thought we agreed that your home planet was not to be known by anyone..._ especially an_ enemy."

Vader approximated a sigh. "When I want your opinion, Captain Lassem, I'll give it to you."

The man inhaled sharply, shoulders swelling. "Of course, my lord, please forgive me."

"Take her immediately. Any questions that might be asked by this Olee Starstone, defer them to me."

"Yes, my lord."

Vader spun on his heels, and was off. _Damn, it felt good to be powerful._ He flexed his gloved hand open and closed as he walked.

Around the corner at the other end of the hall, Captain Lassem unbolted the holding unit where Olee waited. The door slid open. Olee sat up, a look of relief on her face.

"Finally!" she exasperated. "You here to spring me from this coop?"

The captain ignored her. She watched as the storm troopers clamored into the small room. One of the men restrained her, slapping a pair of cuffs on her arms.

"Hey!" Olee barked. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she shook and tried to twist out of his grasp. "Vader put you up to this, didn't he? So where am I going? To the executioner's? Vader too much of a coward to do his own dirty work these days?"

The troopers and Captain Lassem walked in silence beside the nagging young woman. "I'm not scared of you, Vader, _or_ the Emperor... This is so unfair! You want me? Fine, you'll have to drag me there."

Olee's legs folded beneath her like a collapsable table. The troops came to an abrupt halt, less she drag lifelessly behind them.

"Carry her," said the captain in a crisp tone.

Storm Trooper 679 hauled her over his shoulders. Olee groaned.

* * *

Vixin, Vader's adopted planet was very city-like and similar to Old Coruscant. He would have looked for a planet like Naboo to live on... but lush green land was unaccomodating when it came to the suit. He could have found a place similar to Tattoine to live... but he hated sand. And what if it got in the suit? How uncomfortable might that be? 

Vader watched Olee and the troops from afar. She hung over the shoulder of one of his men passively. He dared a smile under the mask.

The tower was a part of Vader's home. A place where only the 501st, his personal guards had been. Not even the Emperor dared visit him there. Vader ruled the planet Vixin with iron fist - literally, and anyone who lived there were forbidden to leave. Civilians and troops alike.

Those who risked escape filled the prisons, awaiting their execution. An inexpensive alternative to overcrowding. Some of those escapees were greedy, lustful perfume and spice peddlers or merchants who inadvertantly discovered the hidden little Outer Rim planet, unaware that one foot on its soil meant an eternity on the planet.

Olee's fate would be not different. Still, the tower would be more comfortable than those awful prison camps. Her bedroom... or rather, her holding unit, he thought, should do nicely. A large comfortable bed, a view of the glimmering city and amber colored sky.

Suddenly Vader sensed, that somewhere inside of himself, he was trying to impress her. He scoffed at the idea. Who would want to impress a detainee? Who would be so foolish?

And then, in the voice of Anakin, the answer came... _then why hold her prisoner in your house and not a cell?_

If you are trying to prove that there is still _good in me, then you are_ wrong, Vader replied.

* * *

Storm trooper 679 was proving to be a real jerk. He shoved Olee into the bedroom, the other guards flanking his sides. Outside of the door he entered a security code, which made any attempt to leave, virtually impossible. Olee twirled around, room spinning, her eyes soaking her surroundings in all at once. 

"If this is a prison..." she muttered, "then sign me up!"

It was a bedroom fit for a king. The bed was massive - and comfortable looking. Must have been Vader's. No normal person ever needed a bed that size. But if this was Vader's "suite" then what was she doing here?

Olee ran to the window and looked out. The tower with its large picturesque windows had a view that overlooked the city. A city Olee had never seen before. In fact, she had no idea where she was! Olee continued her tour of the room, considering various escape routes should Vader not come to his senses. It seemed there was no landing dock anywhere near the top floor where she was located. Only the one door, which Storm trooper 679 had bolted shut.

Olee, hands folded neatly before her, gazed at some of the pictures on the wall. They were expensive pictures and she was certain she had seen them before. Then suddenly, it clicked. Were those from the Jedi Temple? Had they been stolen by Vader?

A wave of anger passed through her. She bit it down. _Think less like a Jedi, and more like a civilian_, she muttered. "I owe Shyrne this much..."

Just then, the door slid open and Vader of all people strode inside. She hadn't expected to see him so soon. Olee stared at the man, arms still folded before her, cheeks red.

"What is the meaning of this? You can't just go around kidnapping people! Where am I? What kind of cell is this?"

Olee stormed toward Vader. He liked seeing her flustered this way. Made him feel as though he were in control again. Watching Olee regress to her old prudish ways so easily was a picture show.

"I can find a less accomodating location, if that is your wish."

Her hands flew to her hips. "Well- if ...if... " she started.

_He didn't think so._

"Not so bold are we now, Padawan?"

"I'm not a padawan so stop calling me that. I'm not anything!" _thanks to you..._

_"I sense you are not pleased with your current situation."_

"Would you be pleased if I plucked you from an open market and took you to some force-forsaken place?"

"This force-forsaken place is your new home."

For a moment, Olee couldn't speak. "My new home?" she gasped. "So I'm just supposed to disappear?"

"Have you somewhere important to be?"

"What about Filli-"

"This is your home and you are not to think of this Filli person again," he answered coldly.

Olee jumped in his face. "You don't tell me what to think! m not worried about you, Vader. Filli will come and rescue me."

Vader shrugged. "If you say so."

"What do you want? Is this how you get your jollies? Hunting down Jedi? Arresting those who aren't or have no wish to be Jedi anymore? If so, then you are one sick puppy. **Who are you? **What did we ever do to cause you to hate us so much?"

"We?" the voice hummed, "so you are a Jedi again?"

Olee fell silent. _Why give him an excuse to kill me?_

She wasn't afraid of death, but wanted a chance to say goodbye to Filli.

After a short pause, he spoke again. "If you wish to leave this place, then you are free to go," he said in a regretful voice.

Olee gave him a suspicious look. "I'm free?"

"That's what I said."

"Free to leave here? Now?"

"If that is your wish."

He walked toward her. Did he mean, free, as in free from her physical self? "death" free? A tangible nervousness ebbed between them as he strode across the room... his strides, pressuring her to back away until she could walk no further. Vader pulled Olee by the collar, drawing her to him so that the air from his mask blew into her face.

She opened her mouth to speak, but fell silent when her eyes met the black orbs of his mask. There was a human inside. He shook Olee. As if to literally shake some sense into her. She grabbed the lapel of his cloak and wrapped her fingers around the fabric.

A human! she thought, with some anger. What kind of human being could do the things Vader had done?

He pushed her onto the bed. "As I told you aboard the Imperial Destroyer, the game you played, was too dangerous for you, Padawan."

Her body sank into the soft cushion as his gloved hand pushed into her neck. Olee didn't so much as blink. He leaned toward her, getting very close to her face.

It was a peculiar situation... her laying there with Vader sitting beside her, one of his hands on her neck pressing her into the cushion, his other hand resting on her inner thigh...crawling...crawling...crawling... until.

Olee grabbed for his hand a second too late. What were they doing? How had they arrived _here _of all places?

If Padme was any indication, Vader knew a thing or two about women. And Olee had not resisted his advances. **She welcomed them. **

Somewhere back on Boz Pity. Sometime ago back in her cabin aboard the Imperial Destroyer...

And sense that is the case, why deny himself? Vader thought with a mental shrug.

His partner in lust cringed. Cringed at every audible gasp that escaped her throat. The man responsible for defiling the temple, was now, defiling her. And the worst part of all was that she wanted to be defiled. _Then again... perhaps defiled is not the word for it,_ she thought.

Olee also sensed, somewhere Shyrne was not smiling. Nor was Filli, if he ever found out. Now if she could only understand what it meant... perhaps, this was Vader's way of putting her in a position to barter her freedom.

The question she asked herself now, was why did she allow it?

Anakin's voice, spoke yet again to the Sith Lord. _Still, you long for human contact. The Force is not yet done with you._

And in a silent voice, Vader replied: "You are mistaken. Any part of me that was good, died with you on Mustafar. And it is not that the force is not done with me, it is I who is not done with the Force."


	4. Winning her over

The sad and ironic truth of having betrayed the Jedi to be with Padme was not only the fact that she died, but learning sometime after his convalescence from Palpatine himself, that the Sith's only companion is the dark side. Forever. Anakin could not stay married to Padme as a Jedi or as a Sith. Perhaps this sad reality was the reason Padme and Anakin died... while Vader lived.

Not that it mattered. When Palpatine told him he was married to the Order and in need of no other companion, Vader didn't mind. _Who was going to love him anyway? Who was going to want him while he is trapped in that awful suit?_

No one.

Not his mother, not Padme, not Obi-Wan, not anyone. So he embraced the darkness. And it embraced _him._

Vader sat on the edge of the bed, Olee curled behind him trying to figure out ways to get herself out of the mess she gotten into. So much had changed in the past few days, hours, minutes, seconds... and now _this_. She couldn't decide if what happened between them was awful or glorious. She was numb.

This was Darth Vader. The same man who destroyed the Order and killed her friends. He sat poised over the edge of the bed like a gargoyle.

Olee composed herself, drawing her knees from her stomach where she had curled into a ball, puffed up her chest, and adjusted her clothing as though nothing had ever happened.

She then slinked from the bed, away from the dark figure and walked across the room and gathered her bags and other personal affects. _So long, sucker!_ she thought, and turned to face herself in a nearby mirror. She had meant to think it of Vader. But the only fool she found was herself... allowing him to sweep her into a torrent of rapturous passion and all else that reaked of dark-sidedness like that. _Fool! Fool! Fool!_ she thought, scolding herself. But it was a cry he would never hear... or so she believed.

Olee slung her bag over her shoulder and walked toward the door. Alas, Vader finally stood, brushing past her in two long strides. He cut her off.

"You gonna let me out of this dump or what?" she said, trying not to look at him.

Vader turned his back to her and entered a security code into the datapad. The door slid open.

Sweet freedom. Olee dared a smile as she hedged toward it, but Vader pushed her back, his palm on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she gasped.

He walked out and two guards immediately flanked his side. Vader pressed a code into the datapad outside of the room. "Don't worry, Padawan, I'm sure you will be very comfortable here."

The door slid, but Olee kicked a leg out, jamming it open. Vader pressed a button on the datapad, which stopped the heavy metal door from crushing her petite body.

"You said I was free to go," she exclaimed.

"I said, _**if **that is your wish,_" he replied.

Olee blinked. One of the five guards shoved her back inside and the door slammed closed. Once again, she Vader's prisoner. _But, by will or otherwise?_

Vader strode down the hall in an arrogant huff. Even a fool could see how half-hearted her plea had been, he thought. Two guards remained outside of the suite, and three followed Vader down the hall. The Sith Lord's cloak billowed behind him in the breeze generated by his brisk stride.

Captain Leesam, who had obviously seen Vader on the security camera, rushed out of the control room to greet him.

"What are your orders, my lord?"

Vader turned, hand resting comfortably on the utility belt he wore over his codpiece. "You will find Filli Gespun and bring him to Perdus 6 and await my orders."

"What are the charges, my lord?"

Vader regarded the commander for a moment. "I'm sure you'll think of something," he hastily replied. "Failure to complete the mission will be met with heavy reprisals. Don't disappoint me," came the bass vibrato.

"Yes, my lord," the commander replied.

Vader turned on his heels and strode off. How might he win Olee over with the soft towheaded Filli and his boyish looks mulling about?

Thinking about Filli made Vader's chest swell with sorrow. He remembered how beautiful and boyish he looked. He remembered when he was towheaded and soft.

No, that was Anakin._ He_ was Vader, he thought, shaking himself out of his depression.

* * *

Olee stood on the balcony, a gentle breeze caressing her face. It was a cool spring night, and from the tower she could smell flowers and dew in the pre-dawn air. She liked being out there when the city was quiet and the blistering sun was fast asleep. So late in the night...and so early in the morning. 

Her Jedi training kept her sane. She used the time to meditate. To meditate away the fact that her freedom had been stolen from her. A steep price to pay for a bit of harmless flirting with a dangerous man. But meditating carried her to other places, other lands, and times to people she had known and dare she admit it..._missed_.

But when Olee didn't meditate, she felt restless. Out of ideas. And worried about Filli, who would eventually find her with some snooping around. He was clever that way. But would he gain clearance and be allowed to land on Vixin 9? And if he did, would he become one of its permanent residents or detainees?

She thought about their first meeting. His clumsy flirtations and her terse replies. At the time, she was focused on finding all remaining Jedi and forming a rebellion. A plan squashed by the Empire before it had even gotten off of the ground. Later, following the instructions of her late Master, a man she hardly knew but had sacrificed himself so that she may live, she and Filli fell in love. It was what Shyrne wanted. And she soon learned everything he told her about having a life outside of the Order was true.

Everything from attachments and caring about another being, instead of some abstract religion or philosophy. In fact it didn't take long for Olee to resent the Jedi for having cheated her out of a normal life. And that was her attraction to Vader. A Sith -- they drank life. Partook of all of its pleasures. But she didn't admire this aspect of their philosophy enough to dismiss their evils. They drank life, but in pints of blood.

Vader she heard, whilst spying on one of the troopers, was due to return any day now. Olee wondered, with some insight, if her nights out on the balcony had been spent awaiting his return. Either way, she would never admit it. Not to Vader, or even herself.

She was however, deluded into believing she looked for Filli.

Especially the first few days in the Tower. It was hellish. Thinking about Filli calmed her, while thoughts of Vader brought restless memories of what traspired between them flashing in her mind.

The way he used his Sith powers to...

She shook the thought from her head. _No more thinking about it,_ she whispered. _Time for sleep._

A few minutes later, Olee, draped in an off-white cloud-like gown climbed into bed and allowed herself to sink into its cushions. Despite the situation she was in, there was nothing to fear in there. Even with armed storm troopers guarding her door and trolling the grounds outside the complex.

* * *

Vader sat on the edge of his bed, beside a sleeping Olee wondering how to make her love him. Anakin was right. Still, he craved human touch, emotion, and the love of a woman despite his commitment to the dark side and all of the power it gave him. What was power without someone to celebrate it with? Someone OTHER THAN evil crusty old Palpatine. 

Vader reached out, as if to touch her. It wasn't the first time he had sat in her room watching her while she was sleeping, looking upon her and wishing he could tell her how deeply he felt.

When Vader warned her about the games she played being dangerous, she didn't know her furtive glances, teasing smile, and overall playfulness was merely pyre in already burning flame. Did she not understand, that his reason for sparing her on Kashykk was because he wanted her for himself? He couldn't admit then... it was much too soon. But he had already known through visions that he would see her again. Did she know her flirtations were dangerous because he was second in command of the known galaxy and accustomed to getting whatever he wanted?

Suddenly, Olee turned, almost dream-like to gaze at him: a darkness darker than itself appearing almost apparition like by her side

Her eyes fell to his hands, which was sat poised over her shoulder. Vader suddenly withdrew, appearing unaffected once more.

"What are you doing here?" Olee asked. "Am I to be released?" She tried to sit up. There was urgency in her voice. What could bring him to her room so late?

Vader caressed her face, his touch almost feather-like. The sound of his breathing filled the room.

"I can't stay here forever. It's not right."

"Then perhaps, a lifetime will do. "

"You can't be serious-"

"My decisions are always serious."

"Filli and I are getting married," Olee replied in a resolute tone.

"Consider your plans altered."

Vader stood and walked toward the door, thinking, when Anakin died, he took their "charm" with him. At this pace, he would never win her over. But somehow, couldn't stop himself from acting like a jerk.

Vader shrugged it off and left the room without another word.


	5. A Confession

Vader stood in the hall outside of Olee's door. He wanted to go back inside, but everything within him told him he shouldn't. He was scared. Scared of rejection. But what was there to fear? He had already proven his theory --- that Olee put across this facade of wanting to resist, when the truth was, she was desperate to stay.

The security code on her door was disabled the second night of her so called "incarceration". All she needed to do was press the "open" button. **There were no guards** on the outside of the suite. Vader scheduled their appearances to coincide with his comings and goings.

Had Olee tried, even once to escape, she'd have known there was nothing to prevent her from leaving the Tower.

Vader sighed, bringing his nerves to a tolerable level, then pressed the open button and walked inside again.

Olee was out on the balcony, sulking. She turned at the sound of his approach, hands folded across her chest.

"You are welcome to marry Filli, if you want to. I... will... not stand in your way."

Olee tossed the hair from her eyes with a swipe of her hand. "Well, it's not like I needed your permission," she griped.

"I am aware of this," he replied. Olee detected some contrition in his bass like robotic voice. She left the balcony, walking toward him and Vader surprised her, in reaching for her hand and taking it into his own.

She sighed and reluctantly complied. The strong mechanical gloved hand folded around hers softly. He was tired of fighting. He fought his entire life and what had it ever gotten him but that suit?

"If you would have me, Olee Starstone-" he started.

_Have him?_ Her mouth dropped at the start of his words. But she said nothing, allowing him to continue. Possibly, to let him embarrass himself he thought.

Vader fell silent.

"Spit it out," Olee replied. "What are you trying to say?"

He pulled her closer by way of holding her hand, and pressed close to her soft body. Olee gave him a confused look.

"You didn't bring me here... to be your prisoner, did you?" she asked, lifting her eyes to stare at the dark mask.

"Alas, you have figured me out."

"Then, if I'm not here to be your prisoner-"

"When I saw you on Kashykk I had a vision. The first, in weeks. But it was too soon, my nerves were already raw from..."

Olee laid a palm on his chest. "Please, continue," she whispered. Finally, she would get the answers she needed. Who was he? What happened to him? she wondered. Whatever it was, must have been deeply traumatizing.

His head dropped. He moved from the embrace, holding both of her hands to his chest. "What happened to me no longer matters. I did it to myself and must live with my choices."

His choices? A heavy price to pay, indeed.

"Then what do you want from me? What did you see in your vision?"

"When we fought, I overpowered you easily. Like the others. But unlike the others, I didn't destroy you, I allowed you to leave."

"Why?"

"I have no answer. I only knew we would see each other again, but under better circumstances."

"So you staged my imprisonment?"

"In the vision, you were here in the tower. And you were wearing that."

He pointed to the flimsy off-white gown she wore.

Olee slipped from Vader's grasp, turning her back to him. He touched her shoulder, his fingers sliding down the side of her neck, sensually.

Olee spoke without turning. "Don't do that," she said.

"Why?"

"Is_ that_ what you saw in your vision? I'm going to marry filli, I can't-"

"You already have," he replied.

Olee laid a hand over her forehead and exhaled.

"You can't resist."

"I can. And I will."

He grabbed Olee's arm and pulled her to him once more.

"I don't get it, how-"

"I have my ways," he replied.

A year in the suit without human contact was torture. He needed to be close to someone, he needed to be close to Olee.

Yes, women were a weakness, probably the result of leaving his mother at so young an age, then Padme who he loved til the very day, and now, Olee... who he saw, would accept him despite the suit. She was a hard young woman, tough. Perfect for a man like him.

She shook her head. "When I was a librarian, I studied the archives. The Sith," she nearly choked when she said the word, "have taken a vow of celibacy, much like the Jedi."

Ironically, not even when he was a Jedi, did he honor that vow. Vader shrugged. "I am my own man. The Sith are passionate. And part of that passion is-"

"Lust?"

"No."

He said no more and led her to his bed. He sat on the soft cushioned mattress and pulled her close, her head pressed against his chest. The meanest man in the galaxy, needed a hug.

Olee gave him a tight squeeze, almost motherly, then opened her mouth to speak. But he hushed her. She fell silent, following his lead as he pulled her toward the pillows. Vader gathered her close and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Her leg fell over his leg, and her arm draped across his chest and they snuggled close together.

His hand stroked her arm, lightly, sensually, then roamed the curves of her body. Vader rarely slept, but he closed his eyes. And Olee, still tired, closed hers. But rest would not come as a sharp but pleasing sensation flowed through her body. From him to her -- followed by images, that felt as real as the present. In their minds, it _was _real. And their bodies didn't know the difference.

It seemed, the Sith had ways of using their "passion" for good.


	6. So Be It

**As always, thanks for reading and please be sure to review. - CG**

* * *

Blinding sunlight filtered into the room, where Olee laid, half awake, with a snoring Vader at her side. In fact, the snoring was worse than the breathing from the mask he wore. Imagine both sounds together. 

It was almost noon. And Olee was an early riser. But she sensed, Vader didn't sleep often, and when he did, it wasn't for long.

So she let him rest.

Olee sat up, her knees folded beneath her, her body turned toward his. He looked so vulnerable. She could kill him now, if she wished. In fact, she would be doing the galaxy a favor.

But she didn't want to.

She moved and Vader, in his sleep grabbed her arm. Olee realized he was fully awake.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm early riser."

"I know this," Vader replied. He sat up, back pushed against the headboard.

"So..." she muttered. "Where do we go from here?"

"That is for you to decide."

Olee rubbed her arms as though a chill had blown over her. "Then I guess, I go home."

Vader sighed. He wanted _this_ to be her home. "If that is your wish," he replied.

"It is."

Olee drew herself from the bed and walked across the room where her handbag and other items had been left on a chair. She never unpacked, he noted.

Olee turned. "I won't tell anyone..." she said_, that there is still some good left in you,_ she wanted to wanted to finish.

"Leave. Before I change my mind." His voice was flat.

Olee, wearing only her cloud-like white gown, slung the bag over her shoulder and walked toward the sliding door. Instictively, she turned and looked at him then pushed the "open door" button.

The door slid aside. Olee stuck her head out and looked both ways. No guards._ Hmp._

She walked down the stark white hall in her barefeet. A lump in her throat, chills down her side. She looked for guards, anyone who might jump out to reveal that Vader was only testing her. By the time she was on the elevator and no one came, she wondered if it might explode with her in it.

There had to be a catch. She bit her lip. The doors to the elevator opened and Olee walked the narrow hall to freedom.

Alas, yes sweet freedom and beautiful sunshine on the city planet. But how would she get home without a ship?

Olee opened her bag. Inside a hidden compartment, was a comlink. She pressed a button, ringing Filli's line.

He answered.

"I'm ready."

"Did it work? Is he dead?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "I couldn't get close to him. Please, take me home."

"I'm coming, baby. For a while, I thought I might have to come and rescue you."

"I know. I'm sorry. I almost expected you to show up. We can't talk here. I don't know how secure the airwaves are on this force-forsaken planet. I'm North on Vixin 9, use the transmission to detect my coordinates."

"Will do. I will see you soon."

"And I, you, my love."

The comlink went dead. Olee rubbed her arms.

* * *

Vader pushed himself from out of the bed, the room strangely empty now. He sighed heavily. Looked around. 

Suddenly, in one sweeping motion he tore the wood from the canopy of the bed and smashed it into a mirror. An anguished cry tore from his throat and shattered the quiet, and in his fury, the room came apart in all directions. He trashed it. Wall to wall, then slumped against the mattress. Lonely again. Inhuman once more.

Composing himself, he stood to full height then left the room as though nothing had ever happened and walked the stark white halls that Olee had passed through only minutes prior. He went to the control room and sat with his men.

"Find Starstone," he said.

"We detected a transmission which was recorded outside of our facility shortly after she left. We believe it to be her. I can play it for you, my lord."

"What frequency?"

"Eleven, sir."

"Leave me."

The men scattered.

Vader played the message back, leaning toward the control panel with great interest. _"So..."_ he muttered. _"This was Olee's plan..."_ He wasn't angry, only surprised.

And it was just the excuse he needed, not that he really needed any, to rid the Empire of that scum known as Filli, save, to clear a path for himself.


	7. The Agreement

**You can read this story UNCUT (ie, "ADULT" version, no under 18 year old readers) on swsotrofans. Simply google "swsotrofans" to find the site. And yes, it is pretty explicit. - CG**

* * *

Filli sat in the pilot's seat of his ship, The Agitator. A fitting name for a pirate. A fitting name for getting under the skin of the Empire itself. Why Olee foolishly thought she could undermine Vader by seduction, getting close enough to kill him was beyond Filli's comprehension. She wasn't a Jedi anymore. They were together. She said she would follow Shyrne's wishes, and that of the other surviving Jedi to undermine the Empire in less obvious ways. If flirting with Vader, hell, if flirting with death was her way of being subtle... he'd hate to see her when she's not being subtle! 

And who could be sure Vader wasn't a machine? Or even human? How would a seduction work then?

Foolish plan indeed. But Filli missed Olee. Their nights together. Those times they had laid beneath the stars, talking about her days of being a Jedi, their time with Shyrne and old friends. Olee admitted how good attachments had felt. How good her attachment to him had felt. She had been denied these feelings her whole life and slowly she was learning how to apply those very feelings, appropriately. And hopefully, to Filli and him alone. Her first, her last, her only. He had already proposed. She had already accepted. But one last mission she told him. And she would lead a life as the wife of a spice smuggler.

Filli set his coordinates to North on Vixin 9, where Olee waited. He had a guage on where she was, and aimed there. But noticed a curious glow around the planet. It looked like an energy shield, only reverse. Instead of keeping one out, it would hold them in. But the very thought seemed ridiculous to Filli, so he pressed forward, his ship crashing through the planet's thin atmosphere, and flying over the ocean at high speeds to an open field.

He landed. Then opened the connection on his comlink to call Olee.

"Hey, babe. I'm here."

After a few moments, she spoke - the line crackling. "Where are you?"

"Point Ten Yellanamiters North," Filli answered.

"I don't know where I am. Or how to get there. I've been walking, I know I'm close to the city."

"Stay there. I'll find you."

He had seen a city nearby. This wood clearing was fairly small. This was a city planet, it appear, similar to Coruscant. He read Olee's transmitting, putting a trace on where she was.

* * *

Vader strode the halls of his building, a gathering of subordinates, Storm Troopers and administrators alike following nervously behind him. 

"Filli Gespin has just landed on Vixin 9. He is a smugger, and therefore, may have ways of getting through our energy shield. You will make sure he does not leave the planet. Not with Olee Starstone."

"What will we do with him, my lord?"

"Whatever you see fit," Vader answered. "But leave the woman to me."

"As you wish, my lord," one of the men replied.

Then thinking about it, Vader turned, stopping in his walk to look at the men. "I have a feeling...they are meeting somewhere close to the city. Yes, prevent Filli from leaving, but leave him to me as well."

"Yes my lord," the men replied.

Thinking about it, Vader had a plan. If he were to kill Filli, well... that would make Olee hate him even more. His chances would be negative zero then. But if he were to split them apart... after all, she had already betrayed her future husband. But there had to be a way to split them apart without ruining his own chances.

What did the Sith Master Darth Plaguis say? _Tell me your plans so I best know how to undermine them. Tell me your dreams, so I best know how to destroy them._

Olee seemed desperate to marry Filli. Vader wasn't sure if she desired the arrangement to escape her feelings for HIM, _whatever they were_. If he could undermine her plans, destroy her dreams... who left would she have to turn to, but himself? He would become, both simultaneously her destroyer, and her only salvation. Just as the Emperor, with his cunning, evil, malicious, lying ways had done to him.

In the end, he was better for it. Free to do whatever he wished. And what he wished now, was to have Olee in his arms again.

* * *

Filli searched the crowded market. Twice, they had crossed paths. Unbeknownst to him. He comlinked her, and found that they were at the same place. It was a matter of where. 

Olee stood near a fruit stand, biting a bollop. She sensed, Filli. Somehow he was close by. She spun about, eyes scanning the crowd for his face.

In a crowd a few steps away, she saw a shock of dark brown hair. Wild and somewhat curly cut just above the neck. She saw the thin frame, and the simple shirt he wore with his parachute pants, blasters strapped at his sides in a holster.

"Filli!" she called, waving hysterically.

He saw her face and ran toward her. They collided, meshing together, his lips covering hers in a passionate kiss. She broke apart, her breath stolen away in the moment.

He held her face in his hands, looking her over, then patting her down as if he wasn't sure that he had gotten her back in one piece.

"Am I glad to see you! -- Alive that is!"

"Oh my love, I missed you terribly," Olee exclaimed, kissing his face again.

Back at Vader's compound, Commander Leeseek watched the pair carefully via holoscreen. Vader stood over the commander's shoulder, arm crossed over his massive chest.

"Send the troopers," he said, voice flat. He didn't like seeing her that way. He didn't like her with Filli at all. Made him feel like crap. What were the odds of going against such a... dare he admit it, _handsome_ young man. He remembered being far more handsomer just little more than a year ago. Were he not with Padme, he could have had any woman he dared to pursue, back then.

But now he was stuck in that stupid suit.

Olee held tight to Filli, a wary feeling overcoming her. She turned, seeing a battalion storm troopers filtering into the crowded market.

"Filli... I have a bad feeling."

When Olee had a bad feeling, it was time to look out. He looked around, seeing the storm troopers as well.

"The ship?"

"A few blocks away. We can make it. Run!" Filli said.

Olee held tight to his hand. Storm troopers? What about the agreement she made with Vader? He promised to let her go. The man was incapable of keeping his word!

The battalion of white armored troops took after them, running as swiftly, but not fast enough to catch the daring couple. Strangely they hadn't raised their weapons, or fired a round as was typical of troopers in pursuit of potential detainees.

"If Vader let you go, then why are they chasing us?" Filli screamed.

"Maybe they're not after me," Olee panted.

Filli and Olee slid beneath a gathering of low hung trees, losing the troopers that pursued them. They stood in the middle of the green clearing, walking toward his ship. Both were out of breath.

"I think we lost them," Filli said.

"We may have lost them... but there's someone waiting for us just ahead."

FIlli looked, seeing a tall storm trooper in head to toe black. "Vader," he said.

They held hands, Filli squeezed hers a bit tighter. Why run? He decided. They hadn't done anything wrong.

"Vader."

"I gather you are Filli Bespin. Welcome to Vixin 9."

"Call your dogs off, Vader. We haven't done anything wrong. As I understand it, Olee was free to go. So what's the problem?"

Filli's hand hovered above his blaster. As though he had a chance of doing something with it.

"That's right. You said I was free to go, Vader," Olee chimed in.

"Cute. Holding her hand that way," Vader replied. "Afraid she might get away from you?"

Filli for a moment, appeared stunned. Was Vader goading him? Was he "interested" in Olee? Filli kissed the back of her hand. "She's my future wife. Why wouldn't I hold her hand?" he supposed, Vader wished it were him holding her hand instead.

Vader bristled. "Strange that you don't mind her sharing my bed."

It was statement. Not a question. Filli turned stunned eyes to Olee. His mouth fell open, the words couldn't come out. "I heard rumors, Vader. That you are (cough), incomplete. How is it even possible?"

Filli dared a smile.

"Perhaps you should ask Olee."

_Was he serious?_

Olee turned, looking nervously at Filli, meeting his eyes. "He's lying. He's goading you. Don't fall for it."

She couldn't look at Vader. Because she knew the truth. As did he. Filli wasn't the only one. And hadn't been, the entire time she was away. The reason she needed to get away.

"You enter Vixin 9 without clearance, you don't leave.That is the agreement I will make, and the only one that will keep you out of prison camp."

"You trying to tell us that we're not allowed to leave?"

"I am not_ trying_ to tell you anything."

"Olee wasn't arrested on Vixin 9. She was falsely accused, arrested on Boz Pity and taken here against her will. I can't help that I had to come here to pick her up, when you finally came to your senses and set her free."

Vader shrugged.

"I'm willing to compromise with you. But for my own sake and not yours. I can care less whether you stay or go to prison. But I do care that you leave this system. It is against the rules. My rules. And my rules are iron, unless you come to agree with my terms."

"Fine." Filli folded scrawny arms across his chest. "Let's hear it."

"Olee, must agree to remain at my compound for one night."

Filli and Olee looked to each other, faces surprised. Then back at Vader.

"What do you mean by 'one night'?" Filli asked.

"It means, whatever you think it means. It is Olee's decision. She must decide how important your freedom is."

"I couldn't ask her-"

Olee raised a hand. "If I return to your compound, you will leave us alone? You will allow Filli to leave the Vixin 9, no questions asked?"

"You have my solemn word."

Olee exhaled. It's not like she hadn't been there before. "Then it is agreed."

"This is unreasonable! I can't allow you to do this, I can't-"

Olee silenced Filli with a finger over his lips. "I'll go with Vader. We'll talk and nothing more," she whispered.

Talk? Vader wanted more than that. That much was clear! "What if he tries something?"

"Vader? Be real," Olee assured. Though she knew exactly what he wanted. The question, was what did she want?

"You don't have to do this. If I'm stuck on Vixin 9, ... then fine. I'll give up my life as a spice smuggler and maybe... mine coal or whatever it is they do here."

"But you'll be miserable-"

Vader waved a hand. "You've come to a decision? Then it is agreed." Vader extended an arm, motioning for Olee to join him. She left Filli, who refused to let go of her hand until she yanked it away. "I'm doing this for us," she whispered.

Olee linked her arm into Vaders, then followed him through the wooded area, in the direction of the compound she had left only hours earlier.

Filli walked after them. But out of the blue, a rifle slipped out of the trees and smacked him in the mouth. Storm troopers were crawling the woods.

"FUCK!" Filli yelled. For a second time, smacked in the mouth with a rifle. He backed away from Olee and Vader's path, and climbed aboard his ship where he would wait... wait for Vader and Olee to return. Hoping she would return unviolated.

* * *


	8. The Compound

Vader and Olee walked through the wooded area. She stumbled over tree roots, vines clung to her legs and twice she had swung from his arm and yet he never missed a beat in that clumbersome suit he wore.

Finally, with Filli safely out of earshot, she turned a scornful gaze to the Sith Master.

"You slimey, no good, bastard!" she spat.

"I am sure, you'll enjoy your stay at Chateau le' Darth Vader."

"Aren't you smug and oh so funny! There's nothing to laugh at here. What you did back there was detestable!" she shrieked.

"You you don't care for our arrangement? Then you are free to go back."

"At what cost? Holding Filli prisoner on this planet? It's wrong. You're trying to keep us apart."

"I sense, you are no more convinced of your affection to Filli as I am. Our arrangement is just the excuse you needed to come back to me."

"Deluded AND arrogant!"

"Deluded? Then you pretend what happened at the compound before, never took place? At least... as far as Filli is concerned."

"Filli needn't know."

"WHY?"

"No gentleman would ever do what you did back there with Filli."

Vader shrugged. He only did what he needed to do to undermine their relationship.

"There will be no talk of Filli, tonight." _Or little talking at all, for that matter._

Olee sighed. "What do you want with me?" He couldn't pay some lucky woman to occupy his bed? He wanted to play games with her? she thought.

"The same thing you want," Vader replied.

"And what is that?"

"Time to mend. For all that I have lost," he answered, somewhat soulfully.

Olee thought about the Order. Her friends, two masters and last of all, Shyrne. People who were gone because VADER killed them.

"If I have lost anything, it's because of you."

He stopped in his walk, turned, and looked at her. His finger pointed accusingly.

"I've come to accept the choices I have made. Be they wrong or right. I advise you to do the same. Once made, choices cannot be undone."

_Did he regret his decision to topple the Jedi Order?_

"Why do you wear that awful suit?"

"That is not a question I wish to hear again."

Olee shrank away from Vader. "_Sheesh._ Sorrrry," she exclaimed.

Tired, she leaned against a tree. He walked toward her. "You're on my time. Walk. Compound is only a few yards away."

"I changed my mind. I'll go back to Filli," Olee said.

"And what brought about this change of heart?"

"Heart? My heart has nothing to do with this."

"I'm glad you admit it. I'm sure, Filli will be disappointed."

"I was talking about you."

"You don't seem to know what you're talking about at all. If you wish to go back to Filli, then go. But you are reminded, that you will remain on Vixin 9. Forever."

"I'll take my chances," Olee mumbled. She spun on her heels, walking toward the Filli's ship.

"He'll go to prison. My storm troopers have him surrounded. He'll be gone before you get there."

Olee turned, casting the tricky Sith Lord a nasty look. She strode toward him again, suddenly, wearing a smile. She drew as close to him as possible, tracing her finger along the armor he wore.

"Fine, you want me to go back with you? I'll go."

"We'll not delay matters any further." He cupped her chin with a hand, then extended an arm, allowing her to link within his.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Filli's ship, he nursed the wound to his face, caused by one of the storm trooper's rifle. A purple coin-sized bruise covered his cheek. 

When he was done, he walked to the deck and flopped onto the cot. His mind wandered to Olee and Vader. He was after all, a Jedi hunter. But Olee was no longer a threat to him. What did he want? What kind of game was he playing?Was he trying to split them apart? She was no longer worth fighting so he sought to destroy her in other ways?

Filli ran a hand through his curly hair. He longed for the day their lives would go back to normal. This last mission, she went on was a costly one. He couldn't be sure things would ever go back to the way they were. Depending on what happened between her and Vader.


	9. Olee Learns The Truth

**Warning: Mature content ahead. Although, an extended version of this chapter can be found on the other web site by googling "swsotrofans". And yes, it's pretty extended. Not for under 18 year old readers - CG**

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Vader and Olee walked through the corridor of his compound to the stark white elevator, the double doors closing behind them. They were silent. The elevator started with a jolt. Olee leaned against the wall, ears popping as it climbed the facility at top speed, seemingly dozens of floors at a time. Vader faced the doors, as silent as a statue. Olee drew close to him and curiously, stared over his arm at the door..he sensed, to annoy him. 

Ignoring her, he was grateful to see the alloy steel slid apart, a cool breeze blowing his cloak back as it opened.

Olee looked around, unfamilar with the floor they were on. She wondered what happened to the lovely room she was in before.

"Where's my room?" she asked.

With a mental smile at hearing her call it "her room" he answered, "It's been...r_edecorated_."

There was something clinical, sterile about the floor they were on now. Not a picture hung on the wall, the halls long and stretching seeming to go on an eternity. Finally, at long last they had reached a door. Strangely, the first on the entire floor.

"This was quite a work out," she gasped.

_Not like the one you'll get later_, he thought.

With a casual wave of his hand, the door opened. Olee walked inside, spinning around as she looked about. The ceiling for one, came together like a cone, as though they were right beneath a spire. The room was ring shaped with windows instead of walls accessible only a three step staircase. The view was of the whole city, and somewhere off to the west, an entire countryside with mountains and spring falls. Olee, drawn to the view of this particular region was even more pleasantly surprised to find that the balcony overlooked this magnificient area.

Vader watched, pleased with himself at having impressed her. Could Filli ever lavish her with such gifts? What did he have to offer but a life of smuggling spices? Vader smiled at the thought.

He followed Olee to the veranda where she overlooked the lush countryside. "Is the room to your liking?" he asked.

"It's breathtaking," she gushed.

Olee turned, a look of adulation gleaming in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Vader moved slowly from the veranda, walking in to the room... Olee behind him, a questioning look in her eyes. She saw him draw an object from his utility belt then pause, not turning to look behind him as she approached the two metal stalagadites that rose from floor to ceiling that he stood between, three stairs higher than the lower part of the room.

Suddenly he whirled on her, snapping a pair of cuffs on her hands. With a mighty yank, she was cuffed to the metal rail.

She shook the rod, but Vader pulled the other arm, snapping that one to the other metal pole.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

Vader moved from Olee, almost circling. "What shall I do with you?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm sure you'll think of something," she replied, voice heavy with suggestion.

Vader pointed a finger accusingly. "Your seductive powers will not work on me."

"They worked before," Olee countered.

The mask approximated a scoff. "Don't be so sure it wasn't the other way around."

At hearing him say this, her head snapped back as though she had never even considered it.

"Filli won't like this. He'll be angry if you did something to harm me."

"Filli is a man of little consequence, and therefore, of little concern to me." It was his own anger that Olee should be worried about, he thought. "Don't you know who I am?" Vader asked.

"The emperor's minion. Darth Vader, of course!" she replied, voice heavy with sudden disgust.

_Now we are getting somewhere,_ he thought. Vader climbed the stairs again, where Olee stood bound to the metal rods. He slid a hand around her waist, to rest on the small of her back. She looked at him, whatever she was about to say, lost.

"You don't know who I am," he said again.

"I do," Olee answered. She wondered where this was leading, and didn't like the queasy feeling she was getting. Suddenly he felt dangerous again, somehow ready to strike or lash out at her in a vengeful manner.

"Your heart is racing," he said. "You're afraid."

"Who are you?" Olee asked, eyes searching the mysterious mask.

He gave a mental smile. "Anakin Skywalker. The Chosen One."

In the force he felt her buckle.

Olee shook her chains in a feeble attempt to pull free.

"Your writhing is useless."

"You're lying! The Chosen One... you can't be. Anakin Skywalker was a hero, he'd never do what you did."

"You mean, bring peace to the Republic?"

"Your idea of peace is FEAR?"

"As long as there is peace, I don't care." Vader shrugged.

"You can't be."

But the mannerisms were all there. The proud swelling of his chest, the daring exploits, the superior piloting skills. If what he said was true, then it would explain why so many Jedi had fallen to his blade. But wasn't he supposed to balance the force? What did balancing the force mean? Surely it didn't mean the destruction of the Jedi.

The wheels in Olee's head seemed to turn. Vader watched as she slowly accepted the truth.

"Then what happened to you! Why are you wearing that ridiculous suit? To hide the truth? So no one will know what you've become?"

He answered in a forlorn voice: "Master Obi Wan did this to me."

"Serves you right!" Olee spat in his face. _So Obi Wan was alive,_ she thought.

Before he knew it, a hand snapped out and clutched her by the throat. He squeezed, until he felt in the force that she was near collapse. But Olee, as defiant as ever held on as long as she possibly could flinching but pretending the act of violence had not hurt her.

He pulled a cloth from the inner part of his cloak and wiped the spittle from his mask.

"You understand why you can never go back to Filli."

"We made a deal. For one night I would stay here with you. I suppose you wanted me here to rub your betrayal in my face. Fine, it worked. I hate you just like every one else does."

"And if I told Filli about the other nights?"

"He would never forgive me-" she gasped, speaking ahead of her thoughts. Eyes narrowing... "What do you want from me?"

"You...Olee Starstone, are my trophy."

She gave him a confused look. "A trophy... something to hang on your walls, as a symbol of your victory?"

"A trophy of my victory over the Jedi."

She thought of how he had exploited her before, their time in his bedroom - everything that went against her Jedi beliefs. How he had caused her to debase herself physically. With him of all people.

"And so... you've taken everything that is dear to me? Including my dignity?"

"Wrong again. Consider your options, Olee..."

Vader let his hand trail the curve of her neck to her cleavage, his hands cupping the roundness of her breast. "I will release you to Filli. But you will answer my call and heed my every whim. Or else, I track you down, kill Filli, and bring you to this compound as my captive."

"I'm not your captive. And I'm not your ..._slave_."

"You are, unless you want a recording of you and I together to reach Filli. I'm sure, he'll no longer want you when he sees what I have. I'm sure you would not want that to be his dying thought."

"Filli loves me."

"And I want you. _Which is greater_?"

Vader touched Olee's face. She winced, turning her head aside. He liked the idea of being Vader. Not having to ask for anything, but simply taking what he wanted. There was no begging or pleading as he had with Padme.

He pulled Olee's blouse. The shirt ripped right from her back. She winced again, her face burning red in color, her nipples hardening in the exposed air. Olee wanted to cover herself, to protect her body from his intrusive gaze. She was, after all a trophy to him and little more. Vader then unfastened her pants and pulled them from her kicking legs, dodging a potential blow to his head.

He stood back. Olee crossed one leg over the other, shielding herself as much as she could from Vader's scrutiny. She sensed his arousal and felt a growing shame within herself.

"I suppose I should not have trusted you. I brought this upon myself," she said, with some clarity.

"You are learning to accept the choices you've made. Just as I have. You can learn a great deal from me."

He grabbed Olee about the waist, drawing her legs around him. The Emperor told him, in time the Dark side would be his only companion. But, his actions, lust, and selfishness were indeed all of the dark side. He was a young man still, despite the suit, and only recently a husband of a woman who was no longer alive. He had needs still. Physical ones.


End file.
